Chapter 66 Inviting Kaya

“This is…”

Nami and Nojiko were both curious about why Kaguya had brought this girl back.

“Let me introduce you; this is Kaya.”

“Because of her health, her father hopes she can live on our ship.”

Kaguya gently set Kaya down. The young girl stood on the deck somewhat uneasily, her slender fingers twisting the hem of her skirt.

Nojiko was the first to react, walking up to Kaya and taking her hand.

“Come with me; I’ll take you to rest.”

Kaya gave Nojiko a grateful look and followed her toward the cabin.

Nami leaned in close to Kaguya and whispered, “This Kaya and the Kaya you were looking for… they wouldn’t happen to be the same person, would they?”

“You guessed right.”

Kaguya nodded.

“Really!”

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Nami’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I was also startled when Master said that name just now~”

Honey Queen chimed in from the side in a sugary tone.

“I’m actually quite surprised myself; I didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence.”

Kaguya shrugged and, with an arm around each of the two women, walked toward the cabin.

The dragon soaring ten thousand miles stayed in place for another ten minutes or so before leading several pirate ships toward Syrup Village.

In the lounge, Kaguya and the three women sat on the sofa to rest.

“Kaya has already fallen asleep.”

“But Kaguya, her constitution seems rather poor.”

“Aside from being frightened, her health itself has issues. Are you sure you want to invite her onto the ship?”

Nojiko asked with a hint of worry, gently stirring her coffee.

After eating a grape fed to him by Honey Queen, Kaguya said, “Her constitution is indeed very weak. That’s exactly why I want to invite her on board even more.”

“Why? She’s so frail; wouldn’t following us just end up hurting her?”

Nami asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Not necessarily. Her weakness is precisely due to being overly pampered.”

“Perhaps she was sick when she was young, leading her parents to overprotect her, leaving her with a long-term lack of exercise and sunlight.”

“In reality, her constitution isn’t as bad as it looks.”

Kaguya picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

“Sailing at sea, with proper exercise and fresh air, will actually be beneficial for her health.”

Nojiko nodded thoughtfully.

“I see. But how are you going to invite her on board?”

“Given her condition, her parents wouldn’t agree, would they?”

“No, they will agree.”

“Because if Kaya continues to stay at home like this, her health will only get worse, and she might become terminally ill in a few years.”

“So going to sea with us is actually her best option.”

The three women fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

“Lucky you, getting such a delicate and lovely young lady so soon.”

Nami curled her lip, her tone tinged with a hint of jealousy.

Night fell quickly.

Kaya slowly woke from her dream. Looking at the unfamiliar layout of the room, she felt a bit dazed for a moment.

It took quite a while before she remembered where she was.

After climbing out of bed, Kaya saw the clothes Nojiko had prepared for her.

The clothes belonged to Nami; they were already the most suitable ones on the ship for Kaya.

But even so, they still looked a bit loose on Kaya.

Kaya stepped out of the room and made her way downstairs.

On the deck, Kaguya and the other three were still training, making every second count.

Kaguya was the first to notice Kaya and greeted her from a distance.

“Awake?”

Nami and the other two also looked toward the cabin.

Kaya walked slowly up to them.

She somewhat shyly pulled her loose collar together and whispered.

“Um… thank you for taking care of me.”

“Hungry? There’s dinner left in the kitchen.”

Nojiko put down her barbell and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Kaya was about to say she wasn’t very hungry, but her stomach growled first.

Nojiko smiled slightly and gently took Kaya’s small hand.

The icy touch made Nojiko’s heart ache with sympathy.

“Come, I’ll take you to eat~”

Nojiko gently led Kaya toward the dining room.

Watching their departing figures, Kaguya sighed softly.

“Nojiko is as gentle as a mother right now.”

“Pfft~”

“Clang, crack!”

Nami couldn’t help but burst out laughing, and the barbell in her hands slammed onto the deck, immediately creating a huge crack.

“Sigh, when we get to Loguetown, I’ll have Thomson thicken this deck, or even replace it with metal if necessary.”

Kaguya sighed as he looked at the multiple damaged spots on the deck.

“It’s all your fault for making me laugh~”

“But the deck can’t be replaced with metal; it would be too cold to stand on barefoot.”

Nami gave Kaguya a reproachful glare and then moved to another spot to continue exercising.

“True, a metal deck would indeed be uncomfortable.”

“Then we’ll just make it thicker and switch to a sturdier type of wood.”

The three of them practiced combat techniques on the deck for a while longer, mainly Nami and Honey Queen sparring.

After accompanying Kaya through her meal, Nojiko also returned to the deck.

Kaya sat quietly on a nearby chair watching the four of them train, her eyes full of envy.

Having been weak and sickly since childhood, she also wanted to sweat freely like Nami and the others.

Kaguya wiped his sweat and, after letting the three women train on their own, sat down beside Kaya.

“You want to train too?”

Kaya looked at Kaguya in surprise upon hearing this.

Meeting Kaguya’s deep gaze, the young girl nodded gently, a flicker of longing in her eyes that quickly dimmed.

“But… my body…”

Kaya looked down at her slender wrists, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

“Your condition isn’t an illness; it’s just physical weakness from long-term inactivity.”

“Proper training will actually make you healthier.”

“Although I can’t make you as strong as them,”

“becoming a healthy ordinary person is still achievable.”

Kaguya gently took Kaya’s cold hand. The warm touch made the girl shiver slightly.

“Is what you’re saying true?”

Kaya looked up, her eyes sparkling with hope.

“Of course it’s true, but it’s not something that can be done in a short time.”

“It needs to be done slowly, with gradual exercise.”

Hearing Kaguya’s words, the light in Kaya’s eyes suddenly dimmed.

“But…”

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“So, I’d like to invite you to join us and go to sea together.”

“Are you willing?”

Kaya’s fingers tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the effort.

“I… I’ve never left Syrup Village.”

Her voice was as light as a sea breeze.

“Father always said the outside world is too dangerous…”

Kaguya didn’t rush her, just listening quietly.

“But…”

Kaya suddenly looked up, staring directly into Kaguya’s eyes, a faint blush appearing on her pale cheeks.

“I want to see the outside world too!”

…

Join and be the Part of Family